Where has my Simplicity Gone? Oh, there she is
by As the Robin Flies
Summary: When Fred and Angelina are gone, what fun will ensue? Not much really. George's friendships are changing, everything is more complex, difficult to deal with. Can he figure out what the key to simplicity is in his life? George/Katie as they get together.


Hello readers! How are you today? That's good. I'm great. Okay, enough small talk, onto the story. This idea just came to me. I wrote in about two days and decided it would be a Groundhog's day present. So, happy (early) Groundhog's day, not that this story has anything to do with groundhogs...

You're probably also wondering why I'm wasting my time on this one-shot when I should be working on my two other stories in the making, but I just needed a little bit of a break from them. Too much of a good thing, you know?

Aaaaanyway, without further ado, may I please present you, with my lovely (if I do say so myself) rendition of the story of George Weasley and Katie Bell. Enjoy. *fancy-looking bow with much hand-flapping*

~Robin

Disclaimer: JKR did NOT place these characters together, therefore, I am obviously not JKR.

* * *

"Seeya bro'," Fred said, walking out of the flat. George grunted in reply. These evenings without Fred were starting to get boring. Ever since he had started seeing Angelina again they had seemed to be growing apart. Not so many pranks, or times spent just talking. He missed that. Fred was his twin, his other half, and now the two halves seemed to be separating.

George was brooding, and he knew it. They weren't teenagers anymore. They had their own lives. It wasn't just the two of them. He understood, well, mostly. Just then his brooding was rudely interrupted by a knock on the door. Okay, so maybe it wasn't rude, but still, couldn't people give a man time to complain to himself about how annoying his twin was. Realizing how stupid that sounded in his head he got up off the couch.

The knocking started again, harder and definitely what most people would call 'rudely.' "I'm coming," he muttered to himself, walking stiffly to the door. He opened it to a fist coming down on his nose. "Ouch!" he exclaimed, looking to see who had done the damage, and hoping to be able to get rid of them so that he could get back to his brooding.

He looked down into the very surprised face of Katie Bell, former fellow member of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, Angelina's roommate, one of his friends. "What was that for?" he asked.

"You opened the door while I was knocking. Not my fault," she shrugged. "I'm surprised you were actually home," she said, sweeping into the flat, and putting her purse down. Then he noticed that she was all wet. Her long blond hair was falling out of its usually neat ponytail, and her t-shirt and shorts were almost soaked through. He was jolted out of his thoughts when her fingers snapped in front of his face. "Earth to George," she said. "I figured you would be out at a pub trying to pick up some girl," she said to him.

George shrugged. "Didn't feel like it," he muttered. She snorted. It was a feeble excuse in his opinion, and he was the one that came up with it.

"Right, and I'm here because I wanted to work over-time in the shop," she said.

"Damn! That means I'll have to do it all myself," he said. Having company was getting him into a joking mood. She grinned at him. "Why are you all wet, anyway?" he asked conversationally.

"It's pouring outside, in case you hadn't noticed," she told him. He looked out the window. Rain was coming down in sheets. How had he not noticed that?

"So it is," George agreed. She just rolled her eyes. George went back to the couch and lied down once more, successfully taking up the only seat in the room. Katie walked over to him, glaring.

"Budge up," she commanded.

"Why should I?" he teased.

"Because if you don't, I'll hex you and take a sick day from work tomorrow," she told him threateningly. He gulped. Not because of the hex, that he could handle, but tomorrow was a Saturday. The shop was always full to the bursting on Saturdays. He groaned.

"You win this time," he said, glaring, before sitting up. She lay down on the remaining space, putting her bare feet in George's lap.

"Much better," she sighed.

George played with her toes. Then something came to him. "Why are you here, anyway?" he asked her.

She pouted. "What? I can't just come and visit one of my best friends," she said innocently. He gave her a look that said 'you really thing I'm that stupid.' She groaned. She was going to have to say it out loud. "Okay. Let me say this in a way that you'll understand. Fred came to Angelina's and my place, they went to canoodle, I didn't want to hear them, I left, I didn't have anywhere to go, so I came here. Does that answer the question."

George looked at her incredulously. "Did you just say that they were 'canoodling'?" he asked, eyebrows raised. She glared at him. "Why didn't you just say sex. I'm not six," he told her.

She burst out laughing. He pouted. "What was so funny?" he asked.

"Just the look on your face when I said canoodling. It was hilarious!" she cackled. George pouted some more until she wore herself out, and was gasping from lack of air.

"So you came over here because they're having sex?" George asked for confirmation.

"Yup," she said.

"And to think I thought you might have actually wanted to see me," George said, sarcastically shaking his head at his own stupidity.

"Missed what?" he asked, confused.

"This. Just hanging out. Laughing and talking. It almost seems like it's the good old days again, doesn't it?" she said nostalgically.

"Yeah," George sighed. "Almost."

* * *

Fred was gone. Again. With Angelina. George was brooding. Again. About how lonely and boring his life was. Then (yet again) he heard a knock on the door. This time, he made sure to get the door quickly and stood back after it was open. Katie smirked. "So you've learned from the first time," she said.

"Of course I did. I'm not stupid," George retorted.

"Sure look it," Katie quipped back. George stuck out his tongue. "Yeah, that wasn't stupid looking," Katie said.

George sighed. "If you're just going to make fun of me again, you don't have to stay," he said, pointing to the open door. She huffed at him, then her stomach growled.

"You have anything to eat?" she asked, heading into the kitchen, already rummaging through the fridge.

"Why do you even bother asking if you're just going to find it yourself?" he questioned, leaning against the doorway between the two rooms. "And yes, we took some left-overs from lunch yesterday."

"Yum. Your mum cooks the best, even better than the house-elves. And it gives the appearance of politeness," she told him, grinning as she took a plate of food out of the fridge, and pointed her wand at it until it started to steam. George rolled his eyes at her and sat down across from her at the tiny table as she started to eat.

"Speaking of my mum. She would say that you are much to thin and need a good meal in you," he said, poking her stomach. He knew it didn't matter how much she ate, though. She had always been this skinny. He tank top clung to her thin waist, and her shorts showed her skinny legs. 'Skin and bones' his mum would have said while clicking her tongue disapprovingly. He chuckled at little at the image.

"So," Katie asked once the plate was empty, which took a surprisingly short amount of time considering her size and the amount of food that had been on the plat, "what's new with you?"

"Not much. A couple of new products are almost ready for the shop. We'll show you, Angelina, and Lee tomorrow, and then we can release them next week or so," he told her. She didn't look that interested.

"I really don't care about that. I hear enough about that stuff during work hours," she complained teasingly. "Anything that I don't already know about?" she asked.

"Not really," George shrugged. "You?"

"Eh. Went on a date last night," she said. For some reason he was slightly bothered by this. "I didn't like the guy. He was too much of a hard-working prat," she went on. George relaxed again. Damn. What did he even if she had been on a thousand dates?

"That's too bad," he said.

"Not really," she shrugged. "I like being single. I'm not tied down to anybody that I'm not really serious about. I can flirt with other guys. I can still date."

He nodded, picking at the peeling stain on the table. "You okay?" she asked him, as if noticing his sullen mood.

"Yeah. I'm fine. So how's Alicia?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Fine," she wasn't quite as into the conversation now. She had probably noticed his quick change it the subject. "She and Wood are still dating," she added on. "I haven't seen much of her lately, just a chat now and then if we see each other in passing." She sighed. She didn't look happy about that.

"Hey," George told her. "Sometimes friends just grow apart. They go their separate ways."

"I know," she told him, almost in a whisper. Then she grew fierce. "We haven't, though. Me and you. We're still as close as ever. And Fred, and Angelina, and Lee. But now, Alicia's separating from us. It's just her drifting off, together with Oliver," she looked like she might start to cry, and Katie wasn't a crier.

"Yeah, but she'll come back. We're all still friends," George reminded her. He grabbed her hand from across the table and squeezed it. "She still needs us and we still need her. It'll be like how it used to be."

She sniffed quietly. "You really thing so?" she asked. "That we can come back together?"

"Yeah. I bet we'll all be closer than ever someday. Closer than we ever could have been at Hogwarts.

She sniffed again, before wiping her eyes and giving me a watery smile. "Thanks George," she whispered, so quietly he almost didn't hear her. Then he squeezed her hand again before releasing it. She wiped her eyes and put away her plate, and they did what they had done the last time. Teased, and poked, and prodded at each other until Katie thought it was 'safe' to go home again.

* * *

There was a knock on the door. That was strange. Fred hadn't left yet. Katie had never come _before_ Fred left the flat before. George went to answer the door, expecting to see Katie standing there, but to his surprise, he opened the door to Angelina's face. "Oh. Hey Ange," he said to her.

"You aren't happy to see me?" she pouted.

"What, no! Fred just usually goes over to your place, not the other way arou-"

"Who's that at the door?" Fred asked from the bedroom.

"It's me!" Angelina called back.

Fred came out of the bedroom to greet his girlfriend. "Hey Ange," he said coming over and kissing her, right in front of George, teasing him about his girlfriendlessness.

"Alright. I'm leaving. Stay off of my bed!" he commanded before walking out of the door. He walked down the stairs, through the shop, and out onto the shadowy street that was Diagon Alley this time of day, with everyone heading home from a day of shopping or work, or coupled heading out for a date.

George ignored all of that, walking up the road, preferring some time to think on his walk instead of just apparating. He really did need to think. Thoughts had been racing through his mind all the time the last few weeks, ever since he and Katie had been hanging out when Fred and Angelina got together. What was happening with him and Katie? What were they doing? Nothing had happened that seemed to make them more than friends, but they weren't only friends, were they? He was so confused. Whenever he was by himself he was confused these days. And then, when he was with her, everything was so clear. He could think, and laugh, and it was almost the way that things had been before the war. But it wasn't quite the same. Things were more serious, things were changing. The world wasn't the same as it was before, and neither was their relationship. He had never had romantic feelings for h-_No. I don't have those feelings for her now. We're just friends,_ he told himself, unconvincingly.

Now he was at the door to the flat, and his hand automatically went up to knock, his head still reeling with confused thoughts and feelings. Then the door opened, Katie's smiling face looking up at him, and the thoughts vanished. This felt natural, being with her, just sharing her company. Not touching, not even talking, just being in the same place. It felt...normal.

"Hey," George said.

"Hey," she said back. "I was wondering if you were going to come."

"Of course I was coming," he grinned. "I just had to remind them to stay off my bed first."

Katie laughed, shoulders shaking, head thrown back, hair falling down her back, almost reaching her butt, such a nice bu-_shut it!_ his head growled at him. He shook himself, coming back to his senses, and walked past her into the flat. It was nice. Better than his and Fred's. Better furnished, bigger. "Your place is nicer than ours," he pouted.

"Why do you think Fred and Ange usually stay over here?" she asked him, like it was obvious. "We have multiple bedrooms." George shivered at the thought of what his twin and his girlfriend were most likely doing in the one bedroom of their flat.

"You had to put that into my mind, didn't you?" he muttered.

She heard him, though. "Of course I did. I take my every opportunity to disgust you."

He shot a glare at her back as she led the way over to the couches in the main room. He sat down. It was much more comfortable than the couch at his flat. "Even your furniture is better than ours," he sighed.

"We're girls. We do that kind of thing. You know, making sure that the furniture matches," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Oh. I was just thinking that it was more comfortable," he shrugged.

"Right. I should have guessed," she muttered. He thought he heard something like 'typical boy' said in and even quieter voice and chuckled.

"Sorry."

"Doesn't matter. And I really shouldn't have thought that you would care," she told him.

"That's true, so I guess it's your mistake then," he realized, brightening. Katie just rolled her eyes again.

"Keep on believing that. I'll get you eventually," she replied, smirking. He recognized that look. She was only teasing him, thank Merlin. Her pranks were always terribly embarrassing (not that he would ever tell her that).

"I believe you," he told her. "You've gotten back at me before. You can probably do it again. Although, I have learned to scourgify my bed and pillow before I go to sleep again, just for the chance that there will be something to turn me some strange color again."

"No good prankstess ever uses the same trick twice," she reminded him.

"But who ever said you were a good prankstess?" George teased.

"Prat. And you did, about ten seconds ago," Katie countered, smacking him upside the head.

"Ow," he said, wincing. "Where did you learn to hit so hard?"

"I'm a chaser, we learn things," she replied.

"That wasn't an answer," he huffed. She just smirked again, and he glared right back. It was always so simple with Katie. Easy. Nothing to hide. Well, except for the fact that he was falling in love with her. Yeah, George grinned to himself. There was no use denying it. He was, no doubt, falling in love with Katie Bell, one of his best friends since she joined the Quidditch team oh-so-many years ago. Yes, he was definitely falling in love with her.

* * *

They had been meeting up for a while now. Five weeks, three days, about twice a week. Nothing had changed, except for George realizing his feelings. They still joked around, laughed, teased each other, made fun of Angelina and Fred (while also getting somewhat disgusted by images of their behavior), and knocked each other's pranking ability. The only thing that was changing, was George's feelings. They were increasing by the day; growing exponentially. Unfortunately, Katie still hadn't noticed.

The usual knock came from the door. Fred had left about ten minutes ago, so this was to be expected. "Come in," George called, instead of getting up from his comfortable position on the couch.

"Lazy prat, won't even get up to let me in," Katie grumbled, throwing her bag on the floor before joining George on the couch.

She stretched, exposing some of the skin of her stomach, pale compared to the bright blue of her tank top. George couldn't help but look. It hadn't been helping his feelings that Katie deemed it necessary to wear short shorts and a tight tank top during the summer months. It didn't leave much to his imagination. Her long legs, fit upper-body, and glossy hair was all too easy for George to be distracted by. He shook himself out of his reverie and tried to focus on something else, anything else. She caught him staring and smirked. "Like what you see?" she teased.

He blushed, but recovered. "Nope. I was wondering how somebody so ugly has had so many boyfriends," he teased back.

She frowned, not pouted, actually frowned. "Well. I know if I'm not wanted," she said, standing up and turning to go. She walked slowly towards the door, her butt waving from side-to-side as she walked. It was just so nice to look at, wiggling back and forth, up and down. George snapped out of it. He sighed.

"You know that's not what I meant. And besides, I thought you liked hanging out with me," he said, pouting. She turned around and smirked at him.

"Nope. Like I've said before. I only come here so that I don't have to listen to Fred and Angelina," she said. But she didn't say it with quite the usual conviction that she would have used if she was really teasing him. George, sensing the weakness, stood up and walked over to her.

"Really?" he asked, eyebrows raised, looking straight into her eyes.

"Yup. That's the only reason," she told him, but more weakly than the first time.

"Why don't I believe you?" he breathed, whispering into her ear now. He was so close that, even without touching, he could feel the shiver go down her spine, and it wasn't from cold. The second story flat was as hot as if they were standing on a sunny beach.

"Y-you should," she stammered, looking away from his eyes and stepping back. He stepped forward with her.

"Katie, you're lying to me. You're here for another reason," he said, all hint of teasing out of his voice. He knew what she was going to say, but he wanted to hear her say it for herself.

"N-no. I can't say it. Not to you," she said, stepping back even farther, until she came to the wall. George shadowed her steps again, almost pinning her against the wall.

"What if I feel the same way," he whispered, more urgently. Her closeness was eating away at his self-control, but he wasn't about to step back. This might be his last chance to do something about it.

Katie almost looked hopeful at his words, but then shook her head. "You wouldn't. You could have anyone. Why would you want me?" Finally. She said it. It took all of his remaining self-control (which wasn't really very much) to keep himself from whooping with sheer joy. She looked back up into his eyes, almost defiant, as if waiting for his answer, preparing herself for his rejection.

He looked at into her eyes, waiting for some hint of a joke, but there was none. "Because you're you," he told her. Their lips were so close, but he was still looking at her eyes. They were wider than he had ever seen them before.

"That's not a reason," she told him, but the corners of her mouth were twitching, trying to contain a smile. George had a solution to that.

"Yes it is," he said, before moving in the remaining centimeter between their lips. It was better than he had ever imagined it (and he had imagined it a lot of ways). They were warm and soft, moving with his, not with urgency, but with a slow warmth. He released her and backed up. "You don't know how long I've been wanting to do that, Miss Katie Bell," George told her.

"Three years?" she asked. "That's how long I've wanted to."

George gulped. "Well...um...maybe not quite that long," he said nervously.

She grinned. "Gotcha. I've only realized I had feelings more than friendship about two weeks ago."

George relaxed again. "That's okay then," he said, taking her lips again for just a second before backing up and smiling at her. She was his. Finally. His Katie. It sure took long enough.

* * *

This happened over a span of two weeks. The second bit was around a week after the first one, and the third was around two weeks after that. So George really only had to wait about three weeks for the love of his life to come around. It took Ron years...

Anyway, did you like it? Good story? More about George and Katie? I've got a short story planned out about them that should be up eventually, but I like my little one-shot here.

Please check out my other stories and remember to keep reading and reviewing. Reviews are like chocolate, and I always want (want, meaning need) more chocolate. It's the cure for a dementor attack; therefore, it is a necessary part of survival. I have terrific reasoning skills. XD Back to the main point, please review!


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